Connector installation tool



May- 9, 1967- f J. v. cu| 3,317,989

CONNECTOR INSTALLATION TOOL Filed Au l 12, 1965 Fig.2 I

BY Y WWWEMQII United States Patent Ofiice 133N389 Patented May 9, 1967 3,317,989 CONNECTOR INSTALLATION TOOL John V. Cull, P.O. Box 7342, Dallas, Tex. 75209 Filed Aug. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 479,074 11 Claims. (Cl. 29-203) This invention relates to connector installation tools and more particularly to a tool especially adapted to insert and withdraw connectors from an electrical circuit.

Automatic numbering identification (ANI) connectors are widely in use in capacitor-resistor circuits on direct distance dialing equipment. Due to space requirements, the connectors are very closely spaced on circuit boards or the like. Hence, it has been difiicult to insert and withdraw the connectors from the circuit boards.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a tool for installing and removing ANI connectors from their circuit connections. Specifically, the tool is designed for use with the connectors disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 378,210 filed June 26, 1964, for Thirteen Trafiic Connector.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an installation tool for use with electrical connectors which is simple in design, can be fashioned out of readily obtainable materials and is eflicient in operation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an installation tool for use with electrical connectors which is electrically insulated, resilient, and which may be used in upright or inverted position and/or held in either hand.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an installation tool which has grippers adapted to hold connectors for placement in tight-fit circuit boards which will slide 01f the connectors laterally if insuflicient room is available to be pulled straight out.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the connector installation tool comprising the present invention in use;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the connector installation toolcomprising the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is aview partly in section showing the tool comprising the present invention in side elevation;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 4,4 of FIGURE 3 and illustrating the relationship between the connector installation tool and the connector; and

FIGURE 5 is an end elevational view of the connector installation tool.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, numeral refers generally to a connector installation tool comprising the present invention. As may best be seen from the view of FIGURE 1, tool 10 is used with electrical connectors 12, generally known as automatic numbering identification (ANI) connectors, by being compressed in the mid region thereof thereby gripping a connector 12. The connector 12 may then be placed over or removed from electrical terminals 14.

Connector installation tool 10 is made preferably of spring steel or some other resilient material, and consists of a body portion 16 and a head portion 18. The body portion 16 is a generally U-shaped member and has side walls 20 and 22 in which are provided recessed or concave areas 24 and 26 for added resiliency. U-shaped legs 28 and 30 project inwardly from the side walls and form channels 32 and 34. The legs 28 and 30 provide an abutting surface at their ends 36 and 38 which will limit the inward movement of the tool upon compression, thereby preventing the tool from being deformed.

The head portion 18 consists of two bifurcated heads 40, 42 formed integrally with the side walls 20 and 22. The first bifurcated head 40 has a jaw portion 44 and a stop tab portion 46. The bifurcated head 42 also has a jaw portion 48 and a stop tab portion 50. It may be seen for example in FIGURE 4 that the jaws 44 and 48 and the stop tabs 46 and 50 are inwardly opening and concave, the jaws 44, 48 fitting over the flanges 52 of the connector member 12 when in position. The stop tabs 46 and 50 will thereby fit against the connector member 12 to limit lateral movement of the connector member 12. Further, if the space between adjacent connector member 12 is too tight to allow the tool 10 to be opened and withdrawn straight out, the tool 10 may be slid laterally off the connector member 12.

Referring to FIGURES 2 and 4, it is seen that the stop tab 46 extends from a point lying in a plane 47 defined by one side of the tool laterally of said plane to a channel 54 dividing the stop tab 46 from the jaw member 44. The jaw portion 44 extends from the channel 54 laterally of the tool and stops short of the other side of the tool. The jaw member 48 extends from a point lying in a plane 49 defined by the other side of the tool and extends laterally of the plane 49 to the channel 56. Stop tab 50 extends from the channel 56 laterally of the tool and stops short of the first side of the tool. Thus it may be seen that the jaw members 44 and 48 are laterally offset, and the stop tabs 46 and 50 are laterally offset, thereby enabling the tool to grip the connector member 12 which has laterally offset opposite edges 58, 60, without being laterally deformed.

An epoxy coat or other insulating material may be placed on the tool 10 in order to provide insulation on said tool and to prevent electrical shorts during installation or removal of the connector members 12.

The jaws 44 and 48 are slanted outwardly from point 62 to point 54 to provide a conforming surface to the curvature of a connector member, thus providing a more positive grip on the connector member for installation or removal. As may be seen in FIGURE 4 the jaws 44 and 48 are closer together at point 62 than at point 64.

It may be appreciated that due to the U-shaped construction of the tool 10, a users finger may be inserted into the bottom of the U at 66 to aid in the withdrawal of the tool while engaging a connector member 12.

The stop tabs 46 and 50 are positioned so as to form a stop for the connectors 12 to rest against thereby providing a positive resting position for the connectors during the installation or removal thereof. Further, the legs 28 and 30 provide a mechanical stop for compressing the tool to hold a connector 12, thus providing a positive stop and firm grip on a connector in the tool when the abutting surfaces 36 and 38 of the legs 28 and 30 are compressed together.

The concave areas 24 and 26 add stiffness to the tool 10 in the direction of movement of the heads 40 and 42 and also prevent the heads 40 and 42 from moving laterally with respect to each other, thus providing the lateral or horizontal stability required to hold the connectors 12.

Further, the tool 10 is small enough so that the user can operate it with one hand, thereby leaving one hand free for other purposes. Also, the tool provides maximum visibility of the connectors 12 during the installation thereof, allowing the installer to more easily install the connectors on straight or misaligned terminals.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use with a connector mounted on electrical terminals, a connector installation tool comprising a body of resilient material, U-shaped leg means extending inwardly from opposing side walls of said body whereby said leg means will contact upon compression of said body, head portions integral with said body and at opposing ends of said side walls, said head portions comprising first and second jaws respectively, said jaws being rnovable towards each other upon compression of said body whereby said tool can be used to grip and carry connectors either toward or away from electrical terminals, said head portions including first and second stop tabs respectively adjacent said first and second jaws whereby a connector held between said jaws will be free to move laterally of said jaws in only one direction.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first jaw extends from a point lying in the plane defined by one side of said tool toward said other side of said tool terminating adjacent said first stop tab, and said second stop tab extends from a point lying in a plane defined by the other side of said tool towards said one side of said tool terminating adjacent said second jaw whereby said first and second jaws and said first and second stop tabs are laterally offset each from the other.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first and second jaws have first and second inwardly opening concave flange gripping portions adapted to grip flanges on said connectors, said first and second flange gripping portions being spaced further apart from each other at the first side of said tool than at the other side thereof.

4. A connector installation tool comprising a U-shaped body of resilient material adapted to be compressed at a region adjacent the ends thereof, a first U-shaped leg in a first wall of said body extending inwardly of said body and defining a channel in said first wall, a second U-shaped leg in the second wall of said body opposite said first leg extending inwardly of said body and defining a channel in said second wall, said first and second legs constituting a contact stop means for said body upon compression at said region, a first bifurcated head integral with said first wall at the end thereof, a second bifurcated head integral with said second wall at the end thereof, each of said first and second heads including a jaw portion and a stop tab portion whereby said tool is adapted to grip a connector between said jaw portions and limit the movement of said connector to one lateral direction.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said jaw portions and stop tab portions are inwardly opening and concave, said jaw portions and said stop tabs portions being respectively later-ally offset from each other whereby a connector having laterally offset opposing sides may be gripped by said tool.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said jaw portions are open at one lateral end with respect to each other and spaced further apart at said one lateral end that at the other lateral end.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said tool is covered with insulating material whereby electrical shorts during use of the tool is prevented.

8. For use with a connector mounted on electrical terminals, a connector installation tool comprising a body portion of resilient material, said body portion including side walls, head portions integral with said body portion and at opposing ends of said side walls, each of said head portions comprising a jaw respectively, said jaws being movable towards each other upon compression of said body whereby said tool can be used to grip and carry connectors either toward or away from electrical terminals, each of said jaws including a stop tab at one edge thereof to permit lateral movement of the tool and connector in relation to each other in only one direction.

9. A connector installation tool comprising a U-shaped body of resilient material and including side walls adapted to be compressed inwardly by exerting pressure thereon, each of said walls having a bifurcated head at the end thereof, each bifurcated head including a gripping jaw and a stop tab at one end of the jaw for engaging an edge surface of a connector gripped by the jaws to limit relative movement of the jaws in relation to the connector to one lateral direction when the jaws are grippingly engaged with the connector.

10. The structure as defined in claim 9 wherein said jaws are inclined laterally with respect to each other for camming the connector toward the stop tabs when the jaws are in gripping engagement with the connector.

11. A tool comprising a pair of movable heads mounted for movement toward and away from each other, each of said heads including a jaw portion and a stop tab alongside of the jaw portion, said stop tabs being closer to each other than the jaw portions whereby lateral movement of the jaw portions in relation to an article being gripped by the jaw portions when they move toward each other will be limited to one direction.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,521,689 1/1925 King 8143 2,376,135 5/1945 Frasher 8143 X 3,253,327 5/1966 McElligatt 29206 JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner. 

1. FOR USE WITH A CONNECTOR MOUNTED ON ELECTRICAL TERMINALS, A CONNECTOR INSTALLATION TOOL COMPRISING A BODY OF RESILIENT MATERIAL, U-SHAPED LEG MEANS EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM OPPOSING SIDE WALLS OF SAID BODY WHEREBY SAID LEG MEANS WILL CONTACT UPON COMPRESSION OF SAID BODY, HEAD PORTIONS INTEGRAL WITH SAID BODY AND AT OPPOSING ENDS OF SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID HEAD PORTIONS COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND JAWS RESPECTIVELY, SAID JAWS BEING MOVABLE TOWARDS EACH OTHER UPON COMPRESSION OF SAID BODY WHEREBY SAID TOOL CAN BE USED TO GRIP AND CARRY CONNECTORS EITHER TOWARD OR AWAY FROM ELECTRICAL TERMINALS, SAID HEAD PORTIONS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND STOP TABS RESPECTIVELY ADJACENT SAID FIRST AND SECOND JAWS WHEREBY A CONNECTOR HELD BETWEEN SAID JAWS WILL BE FREE TO MOVE LATERALLY OF SAID JAWS IN ONLY ONE DIRECTION. 